Prominent Mexican columnist, wife, son shot to death

New York, June 20,
2011--A prominent Mexican newspaper columnist, his wife, and a son were
shot to death in their home in Veracruz, according to state investigators, a
shocking assault that underscores the country's ongoing crisis. The administration
of President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa must take decisive action to end to the cycle of
violence undermining Mexico's democracy, the Committee to Protect Journalists
said today.

Miguel Ángel López Velasco, 55, a columnist with the
Veracruz daily Notiver, his wife, Agustina
Solano de López, and their son Misael, 21, were killed by unidentified
assailants who broke into their home around 5:30 a.m., the newspaper reported.
The couple's two other children, both grown, do not live at home.

"We are shocked by the vicious killing of journalist Miguel
Ángel López Velasco, his wife, and son, and call on
Mexican authorities to fully investigate and effectively prosecute all those
responsible for this crime," said Carlos Lauría, CPJ's senior program
coordinator for the Americas. "The Mexican government must put an end to this
endless wave of violence that is eroding the democratic system."

López, a former deputy editor with Notiver, wrote a column called "Va de Nuez" under the pseudonym
Milo Vela that addressed politics, security issues, and general interest topics,
Mexican press reports said. López had been one of the best known columnists in
the state of Veracruz for many years, according to Gerardo Perdomo, president
of a state commission charged with defending journalists.

Journalists who spoke with CPJ said the murders could be retaliation
for a recent column about drug trafficking in the region. López also wrote
about politics and police.

Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte visited the offices of Notiver and gave a statement to reporters.
"Today in a cowardly act, an act that harms all society--because it is not an
attack against a medium of communication, it is not even an attack against a
professional group, it is an attack against society as a whole, against
Veracruz society--they killed our friend Miguel Ángel López Velasco," Duarte
said. He promised a full investigation, the Mexico City-based daily Mileniosaid.

Drug-related violence has made Mexico one of the
world's most dangerous countries for the press, according to CPJ research. Thirteen
Mexican journalists, including López, have been killed since the beginning of 2010,
at least three in direct reprisal for their work. CPJ is investigating to
determine whether the other deaths were related to the journalists' work. The corrupting
influence of criminal groups on all aspects of Mexican society, including
government, law enforcement, and news media, make it difficult to clearly establish
motives in many cases.

In
September 2010, in a meeting with a delegation from CPJ and the Inter American
Press Association, Calderón pledged to protect the rights of journalists and
called the right to free expression a priority of his government.

CPJ
called on Calderón to make good on his promises. "Eight months have passed, and
the Mexican media continue to be the target of organized crime syndicates,"
CPJ's Lauría said. "It is now time for the Calderón administration to adopt
energetic and timely measures to protect the rights of Mexicans to express
themselves freely without fear of reprisal. The future of Mexican democracy is
at stake."